Composition with Five Elements - Haydn Davies

Composition with Five Elements develope​d from a
maquette entitled Cromlech.

The original title is derived from the cromlechs
(megalithic stone monuments) found in Davies' native Wales and surrounding
Britain, the most famous of which is Stonehenge.

An association with these ancient British monuments
has been a recurring theme in Davies' sculptures for years, but according
to the sculptor this relationship is purely formal.

Artist Details

About Haydn Davies

Haydn Llewellyn Davies,
a Canadian artist whose large wood and steel sculptures stand outside public
buildings in several Canadian cities, died at the age 86. After earning the
Lambton commission, Davies went on to display his work around the world. Davies
has work in the permanent collections of Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Moderna e
Contemporenea in Rome, Museo d'Arte Moderna in Venice and the Musées Royaux des
Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels.

His steel and wood sculptures stand outside the Bell Canada Centre in
Toronto, the provincial offices in Windsor and the Art Centre in
Burlington, Ont.

Davies was born in
Rhymney, Wales, on Nov. 11, 1921, and his family came to Canada when he was
about nine. He began studying art at Central Technical School and the Ontario
College of Art in Toronto, graduating in 1939.

He served overseas in Bomber Command in the Royal Canadian Air Force. A poster
done by Davies during his service in the RCAF is in the permanent poster
collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

When he returned to civilian life, Davies began a career in graphic design and
advertising. He became a senior vice-president and director of McCann-Erickson
Advertising of Canada, but resigned in 1976 at the age of 55 to become a
full-time sculptor. The Lambton commission brought him international renown and
he took part in group and solo exhibits around the world.

Davies was an artist-in-residence at Indian River College in Vero Beach, Fla.,
in the 1980s and another of his public sculptures stands on the grounds of the
college. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and also
guest-lectured at University of Toronto. In 2004, his sculpture Algoma Blue,
which stands outside the Art Gallery of Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie was
designated a heritage piece by the Canadian government.